The holiday season is a time of great fun and happiness and a great deal of the holiday cheer comes from the yearly traditions that are passed from generation to generation. Perhaps the most well known of all traditions is that of the Christmas tree. The act of putting it up and decorating it in one's home is a process that can be enjoyed by all members of the family. A decorated tree with all of the ornaments, the garland, and the tinsel is the centerpiece of a home's holiday decorations. Lights are also used with Christmas trees, and while they add to the aesthetic quality of the tree, especially at night, they only cover the surface perimeter of the tree and do not emphasize the true beauty of each branch or bough. Additionally, daylight hours reveal the wiring that loops around the circumference of the tree which sticks out like a sore thumb in an unsightly manner. Much additional work is often required to help hide the wiring with the garland or strategically placed ornaments. Accordingly, there is a need for a means by which decorative holiday lights can be applied to any type of Christmas tree in a manner which addresses the above disadvantages. The development of the present invention fulfills this need.
The present invention is a Christmas tree decorative lighting system with individual light strings for each tree bough or branch. The invention uses a central bus wire located near the trunk of the tree. From this main cable, a series of five (5) to ten (10) single ended lighting circuits originate in an outward or radial pattern. Each of these lighting “branch” circuits have approximately ten (10) to twenty (20) individual lamps depending on the overall size of the invention. These individual light strands are then routed along or around an individual branch or bough of the tree. Each individual string is held in place with at least two (2) clips, one (1) near the outer end of the branch, and one (1) near the tree trunk, which help hold the lights in place. The main trunk wiring is provided with electrical plugs on each end to allow for end-to-end connection of multiple light systems. In such a manner, any size tree from a very small one, to a very large one, can be illuminated by simply adding additional light systems. The use of the present invention allows for the decoration of all types of Christmas trees in a more realistic manner which outlines each branch, rather than the conventional method which simply wraps the tree in a series of lights in a ring pattern.
Several attempts have been made in the past to provide Christmas light decorating systems. U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,446, issued in the name of Swenson et al., discloses a clamping device for attaching Christmas tree light wires and/or decorations to Christmas trees. The Swenson et al. device comprises open loop clamping devices having openings at respective opposite sides of each other for accepting branches and light string wires. However, unlike the present invention, the Swenson et al. device does not use at least two (2) claw-like clip attachment means and light strings that outline each individual Christmas tree branch for a more realistic decoration system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,519, issued in the name of Openiano, discloses a Christmas light decorating system comprising one (1) or more clusters of flashing lights. However, unlike the present invention, the Openiano Christmas light decorating system does not use clip attachment means to attach individual light strings to Christmas tree branches in a more realistic manner where the individual light strings outline each of the Christmas tree branches.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,065, issued in the name of Rhodes, discloses an apparatus for decoratively lighting an outdoor tree. The Rhodes apparatus consists of a lighting system that is attachable to a trunk portion of a natural tree and provides a predetermined lighting pattern within a branch portion of said natural tree without physical attachment of the lighting system to the branch portion of the natural tree. However, unlike the present invention, the Rhodes apparatus is not for outlining individual branches of a Christmas tree and does not use clip attachment means for securing individual light strands to each individual branch of the Christmas tree.
Additionally, various ornamental designs for clips for Christmas lights have been provided, particularly, U.S. Pat. No. D298,738. However, none of these designs are similar to the present invention.
None of the prior art particularly describes a Christmas tree lighting system comprising a central bus wire located near the trunk of the tree and a series of five (5) to ten (10) single-ended individual light strands originating in an outward or radial pattern therefrom the central bus wire, each individual light strand comprises approximately ten (10) to twenty (20) individual light bulbs and is routed along or around an individual branch or bough of the tree, and each individual light strand is held in place with at least two (2) clip means, one (1) near the outer end of the branch, and one (1) near the tree trunk that the instant invention possesses. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which decorative holiday lights can be applied to any type of Christmas tree in a manner that operates without the disadvantages as described above.